Laura Conway grew up in North Star State, but she moved to the Lone Star State as a young professional to begin her career as an attorney. She ended up staying after she met her now husband, Justin.
While the born-and-raised Minnesotan says she and her native Texan husband enjoyed their first years together as a married couple in the South, as they began growing their new family she felt the pull of her home state calling.
A few years ago, the couple trekked north with their three children, intent on providing them with an upbringing similar to the one Conway enjoyed growing up in the Twin Cities suburbs.
They settled in Plymouth and enjoy their neighborhood and the community they’ve built at their close-to-home Wayzata Public Schools elementary school.
But Conway says her natural desire to be involved in her children’s education has led her to campaign this fall for a seat on the Wayzata School Board. It’s one of 21 school board races taking place across Minnesota this fall.
“I’m running because families want safe schools, classrooms supported with the resources they need, and a board that is transparent and responsive,” she said.
A self-described common-sense conservative, Conway says if elected she will champion fiscal responsibility, focus on improving academic achievement, and bring greater transparency to the district while ensuring students, families, and teachers feel heard.
She also plans to advocate for enhanced security in school buildings and has vowed to advocate for policies that “protect girls’ sports.”
The former public prosecutor and nonprofit founder is among a field of five other candidates competing for three seats on a school board that leads one of the state’s largest districts.
Conway says she appreciates those who have stepped up to serve the district but believes more parent voices are needed on the board.
“I’m running for the parents like me who wish to have a voice in shaping what our kids’ education looks like, but who feel like they haven’t been heard,” she told Alpha News in a recent interview.
Conway is one of a handful of candidates for school board races across Minnesota recently endorsed by the Minnesota Parents Alliance.
MPA launched three years ago as an outgrowth of a movement of parents across the state who decided to push back against the status quo in their school communities amid a number of issues, including Gov. Tim Walz’s COVID-era restrictions on schools, major curriculum changes to social studies standards, and lagging scores in standardized math and reading tests.
MPA-backed candidates flipped control of four boards last year
The current crop of candidates that MPA’s political action committee is endorsing have committed themselves to “putting student achievement, common sense, and parents back at the center of our schools,” said Christine Snell, executive director for the organization.
“Our goal is simple: elect strong local leaders who will prioritize academics over politics and get our schools back on track,” Snell added. “Parents across Minnesota are ready for a return to excellence, and these candidates represent that movement.”
In an environment where Education Minnesota — the teachers union — recruits, endorses and financially backs its preferred candidates running for school board, MPA has put out an annual voter guide to serve as a “non-partisan resource to identify candidates who align with MPA’s mission of improving K-12 education through prioritizing student achievement, safety, transparency, accountability, and parent-teacher partnership.”
MPA-supported candidates have seen success in recent years, including in 2024 when the organization helped its candidates flip control of four major school boards: Lakeville, Prior Lake-Savage, Elk River and Forest Lake.
2025 Minnesota school board races at a glance
The Minnesota Secretary of State lists all of the school board races taking place this fall across Minnesota. Candidates whose names will appear on ballots in those communities can be found here.
A list of candidates supported by Education Minnesota can be viewed here; candidates backed by the Minnesota Parents Alliance can be found here.
While voters in these districts can vote early or by mail right now, Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
